tokenblackguy said:
help me plzzz, i can't find any info on the net, its for an assessment, gotta make a powerpoint presentation, could any list just some brief things the army did that was important.. thanks
btw we haven't learnt anything on the ramesside period in class, we get to choose a topic for the assessment and research it ourselves, and i chose army
That's a really difficult subject, considering there's a tonne you could use for "Politcal History", but not so much for "social history"...
I'll mention a few things, but get back to you with more in-depth ideas.
I'd mention:
- The army was a big employer. Unlike Greek armies, the Egyptians trained and fought all year round. They were paid, by the Pharaoh, a specific amount slightly above that paid to a state farmer. Paid in grain or bread.
- The army was full of lower-class Egyptians, slaves + stases (somewhere between a slave and a citizen), and (if the going got bad) hired foreigners.
- There is evidence to also show that, during late 18th Dynasty during Amenhotep III and Akhenaten's early reign, many army men worked as labourers, unskilled workers, and in primary industry; although this seems to not have happened in the Ramesside period- the army was a full time job.
- There were no such things as "barracks", although training grounds and fortresses have been found. It seems that the main settlements had their own little training grounds, with fortresses being also used to house, train, and keep men safe during warfare.
- It has been argued that soldiers paid for their armour and weapons, but this, I think, is dubious.
I can't think of anything further, so I'll get back to you tomorrow after I look at Kemp and Shaw for you.
